Methods and systems for flexible cloud management

ABSTRACT

A cloud management system can maintain a set of “virtual groups,” and assign different “virtual groups” to particular computing resources. The “virtual groups” can be based on the particular usage (type of virtual machine, application of the virtual machine, function of the virtual machine, and the like) of the members in the groups and/or can be based on the specifications of the computing resources (type and amount of computing resources). When instantiating virtual machines in a cloud, the cloud management system can utilize the “virtual groups” to identify and allocate the computing resources.

FIELD

This invention relates generally to network computing, moreparticularly, to systems and methods for cloud computing relatednetworks, services and products.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

The advent of cloud-based computing architectures has opened newpossibilities for the rapid and scalable deployment of virtual Webstores, media outlets, and other on-line sites or services. In general,a cloud-based architecture deploys a set of hosted resources such asprocessors, operating systems, software and other components that can becombined or strung together to form virtual machines. A user or customercan request the instantiation of a virtual machine or set of machinesfrom those resources from a central server or management system toperform intended tasks or applications. For example, a user may wish toset up and instantiate a virtual server from the cloud to create astorefront to market products or services on a temporary basis, forinstance, to sell tickets to an upcoming sports or musical performance.The user can lease or subscribe to the set of resources needed to buildand run the set of instantiated virtual machines on a comparativelyshort-term basis, such as hours or days, for their intended application.

Currently, cloud-based computing architectures are supported bydedicated servers used solely to operate the clouds. These dedicatedservers utilize unitary virtualization schemes in order to instantiatevirtual machines in the cloud. Likewise, these architectures lackflexibility in selecting resources to include in the cloud.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various features of the embodiments can be more fully appreciated, asthe same become better understood with reference to the followingdetailed description of the embodiments when considered in connectionwith the accompanying figures, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary cloud computing architecture in whichvarious embodiments of the present teachings can be practiced;

FIG. 2 illustrates the exemplary cloud computing architecture in which acloud management system can manage a cloud, according to variousembodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary hardware configuration for a cloudmanagement system, according to various embodiments; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart an exemplary process for managing acloud, according to various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

For simplicity and illustrative purposes, the principles of the presentinvention are described by referring mainly to exemplary embodimentsthereof. However, one of ordinary skill in the art would readilyrecognize that the same principles are equally applicable to, and can beimplemented in, all types of information and systems, and that any suchvariations do not depart from the true spirit and scope of the presentinvention. Moreover, in the following detailed description, referencesare made to the accompanying figures, which illustrate specificembodiments. Electrical, mechanical, logical and structural changes maybe made to the embodiments without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention. The following detailed description is,therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense and the scope of thepresent invention is defined by the appended claims and theirequivalents.

Embodiments of the present teachings relate to systems and methods forflexible management of a cloud computing environment. More particularly,embodiments relate to platforms and techniques in which a cloudmanagement system can identify and utilize computing resources for acloud regardless of the infrastructure of the computing resources andthe mechanisms used to instantiate virtual machines in the cloud.

According to embodiments, the cloud management system can be configuredto identify and manage computing resources for a cloud that allow forinstantiating virtual machines in the cloud so that the utilization ofthe computing resources available is maximized. The cloud managementsystem can be utilized in any type of cloud architecture regardless ofthe type of computing resources and the virtualization scheme used toinstantiate the virtual machines. For example, the cloud managementsystem can be used in dedicated cloud environments. Likewise, the cloudmanagement system can be utilized in existing data centers in order tosupport ad-hoc clouds formed from existing and available computingresources.

According to embodiments, when a requester requests use of the cloud,the cloud management system can be configured to receive specificationsof the cloud usage from the requester. The specifications can includehow the requester plans to use the cloud (mail server, applicationserver, web server, etc.) and/or specific requirements for the computingresources (amount of processing power, amount of memory, amount ofstorage, amount of bandwidth, etc.). The cloud management system can beconfigured to maintain an inventory of computing resources available tothe cloud and the current utilization of those resources. The cloudmanagement system can be configured to utilize the specifications fromthe requester and the inventory of available computing resources todetermine which cloud resources to devote to the requester's virtualmachines to maximize the computing resources and meet the requester'sspecifications.

According to embodiments, the cloud management system can maintain a setof “virtual groups,” and assign different “virtual groups” to particularcomputing resources. The “virtual groups” can be based on the particularusage (type of virtual machine, application of the virtual machine,function of the virtual machine, and the like) of the members in thegroups. For example, the cloud management system can establish a“virtual group” for web servers. The cloud management system canclassify the computing resources for the web server “virtual group”based on which computing resources are best suited for web servers. Asmembers of the web server “virtual group” request use of the cloud, thecloud management system can assign the available computing resourcesclassified in the web server “virtual group” to the members.

Likewise, the “virtual groups” can be based on the specifications of thecomputing resources (type and amount of computing resources). Forexample, the cloud management system can create a “virtual group” forhigh power computing users. The cloud management system can assignresources to this group that can adequately support computing intensivevirtual machines. As members of the high power “virtual group” requestuse of the cloud, the cloud management system can assign the availablecomputing resources classified in the high power “virtual group” to themembers.

By supporting a cloud regardless of the infrastructure andvirtualization scheme, the cloud management system can create, manage,and support the cloud on any type of computing resources. Additionally,by classifying the computing resources, the cloud management system canmaximize the usage of computing resources in the cloud and tailor thecomputing resources according to processes running in the cloud. Assuch, the cloud management system can provide flexibility and efficiencyto any cloud computing environment.

FIG. 1 illustrates an overall cloud computing environment 100, in whichsystems and methods for the flexible management of the cloud computingenvironment 100, according to embodiments of the present teachings.According to embodiments, a cloud management system 102 can beconfigured to mange one or more clouds, such as a dedicated cloud 104and an ad-hoc cloud 106. As used herein, a “cloud” can comprise acollection of computing resources that can be invoked to instantiate avirtual machine, process, or other resource for a limited or definedduration.

As shown for example in FIG. 1, the collection of computing resourcessupporting the dedicated cloud 104 can comprise a set of resourceservers 108 configured to deliver computing resources and componentsneeded to instantiate a virtual machine, process, or other resource. Forexample, one group of resource servers can host and serve an operatingsystem or components thereof to deliver to and instantiate a virtualmachine. Another group of resource servers can accept requests to hostcomputing cycles or processor time, to supply a defined level ofprocessing power for a virtual machine. A further group of resourceservers can host and serve applications to load on an instantiation of avirtual machine, such as an email client, a browser application, amessaging application, or other applications or software. Other types ofresource servers are possible.

In embodiments, in addition to supporting the dedicated cloud 104, thecloud management system 102 can be configured to support the ad-hoccloud 106. The ad-hoc cloud 106 can be composed of a variety ofcomputing resources that may not be dedicated to a cloud but can haveavailable computing resources to contribute to the ad-hoc cloud 106. Forexample, a corporation or university can have a large number ofcomputing resources that support a variety of process (email, websites,individual user computing, and the like). The corporation or universitycan utilize the available excess computing resources to support anad-hoc cloud, such as ad-hoc cloud 106.

In embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the ad-hoc cloud 106 can besupported by a number of computing systems 110. For example, thecomputing systems 110 can include a variety of systems such as a set ofservers 112 and 114 and standalone user computing systems 116 and 118.The computing systems 110 can include hardware resources, such asprocessors, memory, network hardware, storage devices, and the like, andsoftware resources, such as operating systems (OS), applicationprograms, and the like.

In embodiments, the entire set of resource servers 108 or other hardwareor software resources used to support the cloud 104 and the computingsystems 110 used to support the cloud 106 can be managed by the cloudmanagement system 102. The cloud management system 102 can comprise adedicated or centralized server and/or other software, hardware, andnetwork tools that communicate via one or more networks 120 and networks122, such as the Internet or other public or private network, with allsets of resource servers 108 to manage the cloud 104 and with computingsystems 110 to manage the cloud 106 and their operation.

In embodiments, to manage the clouds 104 and 106, the cloud managementsystem 102 can be configured identify the computing resources of the setof resource servers 108 and computing systems 110. The cloud managementsystem 102 can be configured to include a network management agent thatis capable of querying the set of resource servers 108 and computingsystems 110 to determine the hardware and software resources. Likewise,the cloud management system 102 can be configured to communicate withexternal network management systems and/or resources monitoring agentsexecuting on the set of resource servers 108 and computing systems 110in order to determine the hardware and software resources of the set ofresource servers 108 and computing systems 110.

In embodiments, the cloud management system 102 can be configured toidentify both the hardware and software resources of the set of resourceservers 108 and computing systems 110 and which of those resources areavailable for use in the cloud. The cloud management system 102 can beconfigured to identify the hardware resources such as type and amount ofprocessing power, type and amount of memory, type and amount of storage,type and amount of network bandwidth and the like, of the set ofresource servers 108 and computing systems 110. Likewise, the cloudmanagement system can be configured to identify the software resources,such as type of OS, application programs, and the like, of the set ofresource servers 108 and computing systems 110.

In embodiments, once the computing resources have been identified, thecloud management system 102 can be configured to store an identificationof the available resources in an inventory 124 in a repository 126. Therepository 126 can be any type of structure configured to storeinformation, such as a database. The repository 126 can be maintained ina computer readable storage device or medium whether local to or remotefrom the cloud management system 102.

In embodiments, the inventory 124 can be configured to includeinformation that identifies the set of resource server 108 and computingsystems 110 and information identifying the computing resourcesavailable. The sets of resource servers 108 and each system in thecomputing systems 110 can be identified by unique identifiers such as,for instance, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses or other addresses. Inthe inventory 124, the cloud management system 102 can associate, witheach unique identifier, the computing resources available on thatcomputing system.

In embodiments, to instantiate a new set of virtual machines, arequester can transmit an instantiation request to the cloud managementsystem 102. The instantiation request can include the specifications forthe set of virtual machines. The specifications can include theparticular type of virtual machine they wish to invoke for theirintended application. A requester can, for instance, make a request toinstantiate a set of virtual machines configured for email, messaging orother applications from the cloud 104 and/or 106. The specifications canalso include the type and/or amount of computing resources required. Forexample, the instantiation request can specify an amount of processingpower or input/output (I/O) throughput the user wishes to be availableto each instance of the virtual machine or other resources.

In embodiments, the requester's instantiation request can specify avariety of other specifications defining the configuration and operationof the set of virtual machines to be invoked. The instantiation request,for example, can specify a defined period of time for which theinstantiated machine or process is needed. The period of time can be,for example, an hour, a day, or other increment of time. In embodiments,the requester's instantiation request can specify the instantiation of aset of virtual machines or processes on a task basis, rather than for apredetermined amount of time. For instance, a requester could requestresources until a software update is completed. The requester can also,for instance, specify a service level agreement (SLA) acceptable fortheir application. One skilled in the art will realize that therequester's request can likewise include combinations of the foregoingexemplary specifications, and others.

In embodiments, the instantiation request can be received and processedby the cloud management system 102, which identifies the type of virtualmachine, process, or other resource being requested from thespecifications. The cloud management system 102 can then identify thecollection of computing resources necessary to instantiate that machineor resource. For example, the set of instantiated virtual machines orother resources can for example comprise virtual transaction serversused to support Web storefronts, or other transaction sites.

In embodiments, the cloud management system 102 can be configured toutilize the specifications from the instantiation request and theinventory 124 of available computing resources to determine which cloudresources to devote to the requester's virtual machines to maximize thecomputing resources of the clouds 104 and/or 106 and meet therequester's specifications. For example, the cloud management system 102can select a group of servers in the set of resource servers 108 and/orcomputing system in the computing systems 110 that match or best matchthe instantiation request for each component needed to build the virtualmachine or other resource.

In embodiments, the cloud management system 102 can maintain a set of“virtual groups,” and assign the set of resource servers 108 andcomputing systems 110 to different “virtual groups”. The “virtualgroups” can be based on the particular usage (type of virtual machine,application of the virtual machine, function of the virtual machine, andthe like) of the members in the groups. For example, the cloudmanagement system 102 can set up a “virtual group” for web servers. Thecloud management system 102 can classify the computing resources for theweb server “virtual group” based on which computing resources are bestsuited for web servers. As members of the web server “virtual group”request use of the cloud, the cloud management system 102 can assign theavailable computing resources classified in the web server “virtualgroup” to the members. Likewise, the “virtual groups” can be based onthe specifications of the computing resources (type and amount ofcomputing resources). For example, the cloud management system 102 cancreate a “virtual group” for high power computing users. The cloudmanagement system 102 can assign resources to this group that canadequately support computing intensive virtual machines. As members ofthe high power “virtual group” request use of the cloud, the cloudmanagement system 102 can assign the available computing resourcesclassified in the high power “virtual group” to the members. The cloudmanagement system 102 can maintain the virtual groups in a group record128 in repository 126.

When the request to instantiate a set of virtual machines or otherresources has been received and the necessary resources to build thatmachine or resource have been identified, the cloud management system102 can communicate with one or more set of resource servers 108 and/orcomputing systems 110 to locate resources to supply the requiredcomponents. The cloud management system 102 can select providers fromthe diverse set of resource servers 108 and/or computing systems 110 toassemble the various components needed to build the requested set ofvirtual machines or other resources. It may be noted that in someembodiments, permanent storage such as hard disk arrays may not beincluded or located within the set of resource servers 108 and thecomputing resources 110 available to the cloud management system 102,because the set of instantiated virtual machines or other resources maybe intended to operate on a purely transient or temporary basis. Inembodiments, other hardware, software or other resources not strictlylocated or hosted in the cloud can be leveraged as needed. For example,other software services that are provided outside of the clouds 104 and106 and hosted by third parties can be invoked by in-cloud virtualmachines. For further example, other non-cloud hardware and/or storageservices can be utilized as an extension to the clouds 104 and 106,either on an on-demand or subscribed or decided basis.

With the specification and resources identified, the cloud managementsystem 102 can extract and build the set of virtual machines or otherresources on a dynamic or on-demand basis. For example, one set ofresource servers 108 or computing systems 110 can respond to aninstantiation request for a given quantity of processor cycles with anoffer to deliver that computational power immediately and guaranteed forthe next hour. A further set of resource servers 108 or computingsystems 110 can offer to immediately supply communication bandwidth, forexample on a guaranteed minimum or best-efforts basis. In otherembodiments, the set of virtual machines or other resources can be builton a batch basis or at a particular future time. For example, a set ofresource servers 108 and/or computing systems 110 can respond to arequest for instantiation at a programmed time with an offer to deliverthe specified quantity of processor cycles within a specific amount oftime, such as the next 12 hours.

In embodiments, the cloud management system 102 can then coordinate theintegration of the completed group of servers from the set of resourceservers 108 and/or computing systems from the computing systems 110, tobuild and launch the requested set of virtual machines or otherresources. The cloud management system 102 can track the combined groupof servers selected from the set of resource servers 108, computingsystems from the computing systems 110, or other distributed resourcesthat are dynamically or temporarily combined, to produce and manage therequested virtual machine population or other resources.

In embodiments, the cloud management system 102 can then set up andlaunch the initiation process for the virtual machines, processes, orother resources to be delivered from the cloud. The cloud managementsystem 102 can for instance transmit an instantiation command orinstruction to the group of servers in set of resource servers 108and/or computing system in the computing systems 110. The cloudmanagement system 102 can receive a confirmation message back from eachparticipating server in a set of resource servers 108 and/or computingsystem in the computing systems 110 indicating a status regarding theprovisioning of their respective resources. Various sets of resourceservers can confirm, for example, the availability of a dedicated amountof processor cycles, amounts of electronic memory, communicationsbandwidth, or applications or other software prepared to be served.

In embodiments, the cloud management system 102 can maintain a VM record130 of each virtual machine instantiated in the clouds 104 and 106. Eachvirtual machine can be assigned an instantiated machine ID that can bestored in the VM record 130, or other record or image of theinstantiated population. Additionally, the cloud management system 102can store the duration of each virtual machine and the collection ofresources utilized by each virtual machine in the VM record 130 and/orinventory 124. The cloud management system 102 can maintain the VMrecord 130 in the repository 126.

In embodiments, the cloud management system 102 can further store, trackand manage a requester's identity and associated set of rights orentitlements to software, hardware, and other resources. Each requesterthat populates a set of virtual machines in the cloud can have specificrights and resources assigned and made available to them. The cloudmanagement system 102 can track and configure specific actions that arequester can perform, such as provision a set of virtual machines withsoftware applications or other resources, configure a set of virtualmachines to desired specifications, submit jobs to the set of virtualmachines or other host, manage other requesters of the virtual machinesor other resources, and other privileges or actions. The cloudmanagement system 102 can further generate records of the usage ofinstantiated virtual machines to permit tracking, billing, and auditingof the services consumed by the requester. In embodiments, the cloudmanagement system 102 can for example meter the usage and/or duration ofthe virtual machines, to generate subscription billing records for arequester that has launched those machines. Other billing or valuearrangements are possible.

The cloud management system 102 can configure each virtual machine to bemade available to requester and/or users of the one or more networks 120and/or 122 via a browser interface, or other interface or mechanism.Each instantiated virtual machine can communicate with the cloudmanagement system 102 and the underlying registered set of resourceservers 108 and/or computing systems 110 via a standard Web applicationprogramming interface (API), or via other calls or interfaces. Theinstantiated virtual machines can likewise communicate with each other,as well as other sites, servers, locations, and resources available viathe Internet or other public or private networks, whether within a givencloud 104 or 106 or between clouds.

It may be noted that while a browser interface or other front-end can beused to view and operate the instantiated virtual machines from a clientor terminal, the processing, memory, communications, storage, and otherhardware as well as software resources required to be combined to buildthe virtual machines or other resources are all hosted remotely in theclouds 104 and 106. In embodiments, the virtual machines or otherresources may not depend on or require the requester's own on-premisehardware or other resources. In embodiments, a requester can thereforerequest and instantiate a set of virtual machines or other resources ona purely off-premise basis, for instance to build and launch a virtualstorefront or other application.

Because the cloud management system 102 in one regard specifies, builds,operates and manages the virtual machines on a logical level, therequester can request and receive different sets of virtual machines andother resources on a real-time or near real-time basis, without a needto specify or install any particular hardware. The requester's virtualmachines, processes, or other resources can be scaled up or downimmediately or virtually immediately on an on-demand basis, if desired.In embodiments, the various sets of computing resources that areaccessed by the cloud management system 102 to support the virtualmachines or processes can change or be substituted, over time. The typeand operating characteristics of the virtual machines can neverthelessremain constant or virtually constant, since instances are assembledfrom abstracted resources that can be selected and maintained fromdiverse sources based on uniform specifications.

In terms of network management of the virtual machines that have beensuccessfully configured and instantiated, the cloud management system102 can perform various network management tasks including security,maintenance, and metering for billing or subscription purposes. Thecloud management system 102 of a given cloud 104 or 106 can, forexample, install or terminate applications or appliances on individualmachines. The cloud management system 102 can monitor operating virtualmachines to detect any virus or other rogue process on individualmachines, and for instance terminate the infected application or virtualmachine. The cloud management system 102 can likewise manage the virtualmachines or other resources on a collective basis, for instance, to pushor deliver a software upgrade to all active virtual machines. Othermanagement processes are possible. Likewise, the cloud management system102 can be configured to communicate with external network managementsystems to coordinate the network management functions and processes.

In embodiments, more than one set of virtual machines can beinstantiated in a given cloud at the same, overlapping or successivetimes. The cloud management system 102 can, in such implementations,build, launch and manage multiple sets of virtual machines based on thesame or different underlying set of resource servers 108 or computingsystems 110, with populations of different sets of virtual machines suchas may be requested by different requesters. The cloud management system102 can institute and enforce security protocols in the clouds 104 and106 hosting multiple sets of virtual machines. Each of the individualsets of virtual machines can be hosted in a respective partition orsub-cloud of the resources of the clouds 104 and/or 106. The cloudmanagement system 102 of a cloud can for example deploy servicesspecific to isolated or defined sub-clouds, or isolate individualworkloads/processes within the cloud to a specific sub-cloud. Thesubdivision of the clouds 104 and/or 106 into distinct transientsub-clouds or other sub-components which have assured security andisolation features can assist in establishing multiple requesters or amulti-tenant cloud arrangement. In a multiple requesters scenario, eachof the multiple requesters can use the cloud platform as a commonutility while retaining the assurance that their information is securefrom other requesters of the overall cloud system. In furtherembodiments, sub-clouds can nevertheless be configured to shareresources, if desired.

In embodiments, the instantiated virtual machines supported by the cloud104 can also interact with instantiated virtual machines or processesgenerated in the cloud 106 or other clouds and vice versa. The cloudmanagement system 102 of clouds 104 and 106 can interface with the cloudmanagement system of other clouds, to coordinate those domains andoperate the clouds and/or virtual machines or processes on a combinedbasis.

As described above, the cloud management system 102 can instantiate andmanage the virtual machines instantiated in the clouds 104 and 106. Inembodiments, the instantiation and management of virtual machines can beperformed by virtual machine (VM) managers separate from the cloudmanagement system 102. The cloud management system 102 can be configuredto communicate with the separate VM managers in order to provide the VMmanagers with the computing resources available in the clouds 104 and106. The cloud management system 102 can be configured to communicateand cooperate with the VM managers regardless of the virtualizationscheme used by the VM managers.

In the foregoing and other embodiments, the requester making aninstantiation request or otherwise accessing or utilizing the cloudnetwork can be a person, customer, subscriber, administrator,corporation, organization, or other entity. In embodiments, therequester can be or include another virtual machine, application orprocess. In further embodiments, multiple requesters and/or entities canshare the use of a set of virtual machines or other resources.

FIG. 2 further illustrates aspects of the cloud computing environment100 in which the cloud management system 102 can manage the ad-hoc cloud106, according to various embodiments. While FIG. 2 only illustrates theinteraction of cloud management system 102 with the ad-hoc cloud 106,one skilled in the art will realize that the implementation discussedbelow can be applied to a dedicated cloud, such as dedicated cloud 104.Additionally, one skilled in the art will realize that the cloudmanagement system 102 can manage any number of clouds, for instance,other clouds in addition to the dedicated cloud 104 and the ad-hoc cloud106.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cloud management system 102 can be coupled to anetwork 122 to communicate with computing systems 110 to providemanagement services for the ad-hoc cloud 106. The ad-hoc cloud 106 canbe composed of a variety of computing resources that may not bededicated to a cloud but can have available computing resources tocontribute to the cloud 106. For example, a corporation or universitycan have a large number of computing resources that support a variety ofprocess (email, websites, individual user computing, and the like). Thecorporation or university can utilize the available excess computingresources to support the ad-hoc cloud 106.

In embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, the ad-hoc cloud 106 can besupported by the computing systems 110 For example, the computingsystems 110 can include a variety of systems such as a set of servers112 and 114 and standalone user computing systems 116 and 118. Thecomputing systems 110 can include hardware resources, such asprocessors, memory, network hardware, storage devices, and the like, andsoftware resources, such as operating systems (OS), applicationprograms, and the like.

In embodiments, to manage and support the ad-hoc cloud 106, the cloudmanagement system 102 can be configured to identify the computingresources of the computing systems 110. The cloud management system 102can be configured to include a network management agent 202 that iscapable of querying the computing systems 110 to determine the hardwareand software resources. For example, the network management agent 202can be configured to transmit an identification query 204 to thecomputing systems 110 via network 122 and receive a response 206identifying the computing resources of the computing system 110.Likewise, the network management agent 202 can be configured to directlyexamine the computing system 110 to determine the computing resources.The network management agent 202 can be configured to include thenecessary logic, routines, instruction, and commands to communicate withthe computing systems 110 in order to identify the computing resourcesof the computing systems 110.

In embodiments, the network management agent 202 can be implemented as aportion of the code for the cloud management system 102. Likewise, thenetwork management agent 202 can be implemented as a separate softwaretool accessible by the cloud management system 102. The networkmanagement agent 202 can be written in a variety of programminglanguages, such as JAVA, C++, Python code, and the like to accommodate avariety of operating systems, machine architectures, etc. Additionally,the network management agent 202 can be configured to include theappropriate application programming interfaces (APIs) to communicatewith and cooperate with other components of the cloud management server102.

In embodiments, the cloud management system 102 can be configured tocommunicate with an external network management system 208 in order todetermine the computing resources of the computing systems 110. Thecloud management system 102 can be configured to send a request to thenetwork management system 208 to identify the computing resources. Thenetwork management system 208 can be configured to transmit theidentification query 204 to the computing systems 110 via network 122,to receive a response 206 identifying the computing resources of thecomputing system 110, and to provide the identified computing resourcesto the cloud management system 102.

In embodiments, the network management system 208 can be any type ofnetwork management application or tool to securely communicate with thecomputing systems 110, to monitor the state of the computing systems110, to retrieve and request data from the computing systems 110, and tomanage and direct the computing systems 110. For example, the networkmanagement system 208 can be a “FUNC” server as described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/130,424, filed May 30, 2008, entitled “SYSTEMSAND METHODS FOR REMOTE MANAGEMENT OF NETWORKED SYSTEMS USING SECUREMODULAR PLATFORM” (U.S. Pat. No. ______) assigned to Red HatCorporation, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein, in itsentirety, by reference.

In embodiments, in order to aid in identifying the computing resources,the computing systems 110 can include a resource monitoring agent. Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the user computing system 116 caninclude a resource monitoring agent 210. The resource monitoring agent210 can be configured to identify the computing resources of the usercomputing system 116. The resource monitoring agent 210 can provide theidentification of the computing resources to the cloud management system102 and/or network management system 208. The resource monitoring agent210 can be configured to include the necessary logic, routines,instruction, and commands to communicate with the hardware and softwareresources of the computing systems 110 in order to identify thecomputing resources of the computing systems 110.

In embodiments, the cloud management system 102 and/or networkmanagement system 208 can be configured to identify both the hardwareand software resources of the computing systems 110 and which of thoseresources are available for use in the cloud. The cloud managementsystem 102 can be configured to identify the hardware resources such astype and amount of processing power, type and amount of memory, type andamount of storage, type and amount of network bandwidth and the like, ofthe computing systems 110. Likewise, the cloud management system 102 canbe configured to identify the software resources, such as type of OS,application programs, and the like, of the computing systems 110.

In embodiments, when identifying the computing resources, the cloudmanagement system 102 and/or network management system 208 can beconfigured to identify the usage and availability of the computingsystem 110. For example, the computing systems 110 can be supportingother processes outside the ad-hoc cloud 106 and/or virtual machines inthe ad-hoc cloud 106. The cloud management system 102 and/or networkmanagement system 208 can be configured to identify both the type andtotal amount of hardware and software resources as well as thosecurrently available for use in the ad-hoc cloud 106.

In embodiments, once the computing resources have been identified, thecloud management system 102 can be configured to store an identificationof the available resources in the inventory 124 in the repository 126.The repository 126 can be any type of structure configured to storeinformation, such as a database. The repository 126 can be maintained ina computer readable storage device or medium whether local to or remotefrom the cloud management system 102.

In embodiments, the inventory 124 can be configured to includeinformation that identifies the computing systems 110 and informationidentifying the computing resources available. The computing systems 110can be identified by unique identifiers such as, for instance, InternetProtocol (IP) addresses or other addresses. For example, each system112, 114, 116, and 118 can have a unique identifier. In the inventory124, the cloud management system 102 can associate, with each uniqueidentifier, the computing resources available on that computing system.The inventory 124 can include the type and total amount of hardware andsoftware resources and the type and amount of available hardware andsoftware resources.

In embodiments, once the computing resources have been identified, thecloud management system 102 can be configured to classify the computingsystems 110 into “virtual groups.” The “virtual group” can specify aparticular usage (type of virtual machine, application of the virtualmachine, function of the virtual machine, and the like) of the computingresources and the ad-hoc cloud 106. For example, the cloud managementsystem 102 can set up a “virtual group A” 212 for web servers. The cloudmanagement system 102 can classify the computing systems 110 for the webserver “virtual group A” 212 based on which computing resources are bestsuited for web servers, for example, the set of servers 114 and usercomputing system 116. Likewise, the “virtual groups” can be based on thespecifications (type and amount of computing resources) of the computingresources required. For example, the cloud management system 102 cancreate a “virtual group B” 214 for high power computing users. The cloudmanagement system 102 can assign computing systems 110 to “virtual groupB” 214 that can adequately support computing intensive virtual machines,for example, the set of servers 112.

In embodiments, the cloud management system 102 can maintain the“virtual groups” in the group record 128 in repository 126. The grouprecord 128 can include the identification of the groups, differentrequesters associated with the “virtual groups”, identification of thecomputing systems 110 associated with the “virtual groups”, and areference to the inventory 126 to identify the available computingresources. Likewise, the group record 128 can be included as part of theinventory 126, for example, each computing system 110 can be associatedwith one or more “virtual groups” it is supporting.

In embodiments, once the computing resources have been identified andclassified, the cloud management system 102 can be configured to receiveinstantiation requests from requesters to instantiate virtual machinesin the ad-hoc cloud 106. The cloud management system can be configuredto receive specifications, in the instantiation requests, of the cloudusage. The specifications can include how the requester plans to use thecloud 106 (mail server, application server, web server, etc.) and/orspecific requirements for the computing resources (amount of processingpower, amount of memory, amount of storage, amount of bandwidth, etc.).The cloud management system 102 can be configured to utilize thespecifications from the requester and the inventory 124 of availablecomputing resources to determine which cloud resources to devote to therequester's virtual machines to maximize the computing resources andmeet the requester's specifications.

In embodiments, the cloud management system 102 can be configured todetermine if the request belongs to a particular “virtual group” ordetermine a “virtual group” with which the requester can be assigned.The cloud management system 102 can determine if a requester belongs toa particular group by accessing and examining the group record 128. Thecloud management system 102 can examine the group record 128 for therequester's identification and assigned group if included in the grouprecord 128.

In embodiments, for example, the cloud management system 102 can receivean instantiation request 216 from “requester A” 218. The instantiationrequest 216 can include the identity as “requester A” and can includethe specifications of the cloud usage. The cloud management system 102can search the group record 128 for the identity “requester A”. Forexample, the group record 128 can indicate that “requester A” 218 isassociated with the “virtual group A” 212. Accordingly, the cloudmanagement system 102 can assign computing resources from the computingsystems 114 and 116 associated with the “virtual group A” 212.

In embodiments, if the group record 128 does not identify the requester,the cloud management system 102 can assign a “virtual group” to therequester. The cloud management system 102 can assign a “virtual group”based on the specifications received from the requester. The cloudmanagement system 102 can assign the “virtual group” based on how therequester plans to use the resources or the specific computing resourcesrequired or requested.

In embodiments, for example, the cloud management system 102 can receivean instantiation request 220 from “requester B” 222. The instantiationrequest 216 can include the identity as “requester B” and can includethe specifications of the cloud usage. The cloud management system 102can search the group record 128 for the identity “requester B”. Forexample, the group record 128 can indicate that “requester B” 222 is notassociated with a “virtual group”. As such, the cloud management system102 can assign a “virtual group” based on the instantiation request 220.For example, the instantiation request 212 can indicate that the“requester B” 222 requires a significant amount of processing power andmemory to support the requested virtual machine. This can be explicitlyincluded in the instantiation request 220 or determined by the cloudmanagement system by examining the requested usage. Because the“requester B” 222 requires significant computing resources, the cloudmanagement system 102 can assign the “requester B” 222 to the “virtualgroup B” 214 for high power computing users. Accordingly, the cloudmanagement system 102 can assign computing resources from the computingsystems 112 associated with the “virtual group B” 214.

In embodiments, once the “virtual groups” have been identified, thecloud management system 102 can determine the specific computing systems110 in the “virtual group” and/or the specific computing resources toallocate to the requester's virtual machine. The cloud management system102 can examine the inventory 124 to determine which computing systems110 and computing resources are available and meet the specifications ofthe instantiation request. For instance, the cloud management system canexamine the inventory 124 to determine which computing systems 110 andcomputing resources are available and match or most closely match thespecifications of the instantiation request.

In embodiments, for example, the “requester A” 218, which is a member ofthe “virtual group A” 212 includes in the instantiation request 216 aparticular specification for the computing resources (particular OS,particular amount of processor power, memory, or bandwidth, and/or otherspecification). The cloud management system 102 can examine theinventory 124 to determine which computing systems 110, in the “virtualgroup A” 212, have the computing resources available that match or bestmatch the instantiation request 216. For example, the cloud managementsystem 102 can examine the inventory 124 and determine that usercomputing system 116 matches the instantiation request 216. As such, thecloud management system 102 can allocate the user computing system 116or a portion of the computing resources to the instantiation request216.

In embodiments, the cloud management system 102 can be configured toupdate the inventory 124 and group record 128. For example, as computingresources are allocated, the cloud management system can be configuredto update the inventory 124 to reflect allocation or de-allocation ofcomputing resources. Likewise, as the “virtual groups” are assigned, thecloud management system 102 can be configured to update the group record128 to reflect computing systems 110 assigned or removed from the“virtual groups” and/or requesters assigned or removed from the “virtualgroups”. Additionally, the cloud management system 102 and/or networkmanagement system 208 can be configured to periodically query thecomputing system 110 to update the availability of computing resources.The cloud management system 102 can be configured to update theinventory 124 and group record 128 to reflect these updates.

In embodiments, once computing system 110 and computing resources havebeen allocated, the cloud management system 102 can be configured toinstantiate the virtual machines as specified in the instantiationrequest, as described above in FIG. 1. The cloud management system 102can be configured to utilize any type of virtualization scheme toinstantiate the virtual machines on the computing system 110. Likewise,the cloud management system 102 can utilize different type ofvirtualization schemes on different ones of the computing systems 110,for instance, depending on which scheme can be supported by a particularcomputing system 110. The cloud management system 102 can maintain theVM record 130 of each virtual machine instantiated in the ad-hoc cloud106. Each virtual machine can be assigned an instantiated machine IDthat can be stored in the VM record 130. Additionally, the cloudmanagement system 102 can store the duration of each virtual machine andthe collection of resources utilized by each virtual machine in the VMrecord 130 and/or inventory 124. The cloud management system 102 canmaintain the VM record 130 in the repository 126.

In embodiments, the instantiation and management of virtual machines canbe performed by the cloud management system 102. Likewise, the cloudmanagement system 102 can be configured to communicate with one or moreVM managers 224 separate from the cloud management system 102. The cloudmanagement system 102 can be configured to communicate with the separateVM managers 224 in order to provide the VM managers 224 with thecomputing resources allocated to a particular virtual machines and theVM managers 224 can be configured to instantiate the virtual machines onthe allocated computing resources. The cloud management system 102 canbe configured to communicate and cooperate with the VM managers 224regardless of the virtualization scheme used by the VM managers 224. Forexample, the VM managers 224 can be a variety of different VM managerssupporting virtualization schemes such as Xen, Kernel-based VirtualMachine (KVM), VMware, mainframe ZVM, and the like.

In exemplary embodiments as described above, the computer systems 110included in the “virtual group A” 212 and the “virtual group B” 214 donot overlap. One skilled in the art will realize that the computersystems 110 included in the “virtual groups” can overlap. That is, oneof more of the computer system 110 can be included in one or more of the“virtual groups”.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary diagram of hardware and other resourcesthat can be incorporated in a computing system 300 and configured tocommunicate with the clouds 104 and 106 via one or more networks 120 and122, according to embodiments. In embodiments as shown, the computingsystem 300 can comprise a processor 302 communicating with memory 304,such as electronic random access memory, operating under control of orin conjunction with operating system 308. Operating system 308 can be,for example, a distribution of the Linux™ operating system, such asSELinux, the Unix™ operating system, or other open-source or proprietaryoperating system or platform. Processor 302 also communicates with oneor more computer readable storage devices or media 310, such as harddrives, optical storage, and the like, for maintaining the repository126. Processor 302 further communicates with network interface 306, suchas an Ethernet or wireless data connection, which in turn communicateswith one or more networks 120 and 122, such as the Internet or otherpublic or private networks.

Processor 302 also communicates with the cloud management system 102, toexecute control logic and allow perform the management processes asdescribed above and below. Other configurations of the computing system300, associated network connections, and other hardware and softwareresources are possible.

While FIG. 3 illustrates the computing system 300 as a standalone systemincluding a combination of hardware and software, the computing system300 can include multiple systems operating in cooperation. The cloudmanagement system 102 can be implemented as a software application orprogram capable of being executed by the computing system 300, asillustrated, or other conventional computer platforms. Likewise, thecloud management system 102 can also be implemented as a software moduleor program module capable of being incorporated in other softwareapplications and programs. Further, the cloud management system 102 canalso be implemented as a software module or program module capable ofbeing incorporated in other management software applications andprograms. In any example, the cloud management system 102 can beimplemented in any type of conventional proprietary or open-sourcecomputer language. When implemented as a software application or programcode, the cloud management system 102 can be stored in a computerreadable storage medium, such as storage 310, accessible by thecomputing system 300.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram flexible management process for acloud computing architecture, according to embodiments. In 402,processing can begin. In 404, the cloud management system 102 canidentify computing systems 110 and computing resources to include in anad-hoc cloud 106. For example, the cloud management system 102 can querythe computing systems 110 to identify the type and amount of computingresources and which of these resources are available. Likewise, thecloud management module 102 can communicate with network managementsystems 208 and/or monitoring agent 210 to determine the computingresources.

In 406, the cloud management system 102 can classify the computingsystems 110 for supporting the ad-hoc cloud 106. For example, the cloudmanagement system 102 can classify the computing systems 110 into“virtual groups.” The “virtual group” can specify a particular usage(type of virtual machine, application of the virtual machine, functionof the virtual machine, and the like) of the computing resources and thead-hoc cloud 106. For example, the cloud management system 102 can setup a “virtual group A” 212 for web servers. The cloud management system102 can classify the computing systems 110 for the web server “virtualgroup A” 212 based on which computing resources are best suited for webservers, for example, the set of servers 114 and user computing system116. Likewise, the “virtual groups” can be based on the specifications(type and amount of computing resources) of the computing resourcesrequired. For example, the cloud management system 102 can create a“virtual group B” 214 for high power computing users. The cloudmanagement system 102 can assign computing systems 110 to “virtual groupB” 214 that can adequately support computing intensive virtual machines,for example, the set of servers 112.

In 408, the cloud management system 102 can receive a request toinstantiate a virtual machine in the ad-hoc cloud 106. The cloudmanagement system 102 can receive specifications, in the instantiationrequests, of the cloud usage. The specifications can include how therequester plans to use the ad-hoc cloud 106 (mail server, applicationserver, web server, etc.) and/or specific requirements for the computingresources (amount of processing power, amount of memory, amount ofstorage, amount of bandwidth, etc.).

In 410, the cloud management system 102 can identify the computingsystems 110 to allocate to the requester's virtual machine. For example,the cloud management system 102 can determine the specific computingsystems 110 in the “virtual group” and/or the specific computingresources to allocate to the requester's virtual machine. The cloudmanagement system 102 can examine the inventory 124 to determine whichcomputing systems 110 and computing resources are available and meet thespecifications of the instantiation request. For instance, the cloudmanagement system can examine the inventory 124 to determine whichcomputing systems 110 and computing resources are available and match ormost closely match the specifications of the instantiation request.

In 412, the cloud management system 102 can allocate the selectedcomputing systems 110 and computing resources to the virtual machine.For example, the cloud management system 102 can directly instantiatethe virtual machine on the selected computer systems 110 and computerresources, or the computer system can communicate with one or more VMmanagers 224 to instantiate the virtual machines. The cloud managementsystem 102 can also update the inventory 124 to indicate the allocationof the computer systems 110 and the computer resources. Then, in 414,the process can end, but the process can return to any point and repeat.

Certain embodiments may be performed as a computer application orprogram. The computer program may exist in a variety of forms bothactive and inactive. For example, the computer program can exist assoftware program(s) comprised of program instructions in source code,object code, executable code or other formats; firmware program(s); orhardware description language (HDL) files. Any of the above can beembodied on a computer readable medium, which include computer readablestorage devices and media, and signals, in compressed or uncompressedform. Exemplary computer readable storage devices and media includeconventional computer system RAM (random access memory), ROM (read-onlymemory), EPROM (erasable, programmable ROM), EEPROM (electricallyerasable, programmable ROM), and magnetic or optical disks or tapes.Exemplary computer readable signals, whether modulated using a carrieror not, are signals that a computer system hosting or running thepresent invention can be configured to access, including signalsdownloaded through the Internet or other networks. Concrete examples ofthe foregoing include distribution of executable software program(s) ofthe computer program on a CD-ROM or via Internet download. In a sense,the Internet itself, as an abstract entity, is a computer readablemedium. The same is true of computer networks in general.

While the invention has been described with reference to the exemplaryembodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will be able to makevarious modifications to the described embodiments without departingfrom the true spirit and scope. The terms and descriptions used hereinare set forth by way of illustration only and are not meant aslimitations. In particular, although the method has been described byexamples, the steps of the method may be performed in a different orderthan illustrated or simultaneously. Furthermore, to the extent that theterms “including”, “includes”, “having”, “has”, “with”, or variantsthereof are used in either the detailed description and the claims, suchterms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term“comprising.” As used herein, the term “one or more of” with respect toa listing of items such as, for example, A and B, means A alone, Balone, or A and B. Those skilled in the art will recognize that theseand other variations are possible within the spirit and scope as definedin the following claims and their equivalents.

1. A method of managing a cloud computing environment, comprising:identifying a set of computing systems to include in a cloud, whereineach computing system in the set of computing systems comprisescomputing resources; classifying the set of computing systems based onusage of the cloud and the computing resources; receiving a request toinstantiate a virtual machine in the cloud, wherein the request includesspecifications of the virtual machine; selecting at least one computingsystem in the set of computing systems based on the specifications andthe classification of the set of computing systems; and allocating theat least one computing system to the virtual machine.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein identifying the set of computing systems comprises:querying the set of computing systems to determine at least one of atype of the computing resources, an amount of the computing resources,and an availability of the computing resources.
 3. The method of claim1, wherein classifying the set of computing systems, comprises:classifying the set of computing systems according to types of virtualmachines to be instantiated on the set of computing systems and amountof the computing resources available.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe specifications comprise at least one of a type of the virtualmachine, a process performed by the virtual machine, and desiredcomputing resources for the virtual machine.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein selecting at least one computing system comprises: maintaining arecord of classes of the set of computing systems; matching therequirements with at least one of the classes; and selecting the atleast one computing systems that is associated with the at least one ofthe classes.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: instantiatingthe virtual machine in the at least one computing system.
 7. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: providing an indication of the at leastone computing system to another system to instantiate the virtualmachine.
 8. A system for managing a cloud computing environments,comprising: a network interface to a set of computing systems; and aprocessor communicating with the network interface and executing a cloudmanagement system, the cloud management system being configured to—identify the set of computing systems to include in a cloud, whereineach computing system in the set of computing systems comprisescomputing resources; classify the set of computing systems based onusage of the cloud and the computing resources; receive a request toinstantiate a virtual machine in the cloud, wherein the request includesspecifications of the virtual machine; select at least one computingsystem in the set of computing systems based on the specifications andthe classification of the set of computing systems; and allocate the atleast one computing system to the virtual machine.
 9. The system ofclaim 8, wherein identifying the set of computing systems comprises:querying the set of computing systems to determine at least one of atype of the computing resources, an amount of the computing resources,and an availability of the computing resources.
 10. The system of claim8, wherein classifying the set of computing systems, comprises:classifying the set of computing systems according to types of virtualmachines to be instantiated on the set of computing systems and amountof the computing resources available.
 11. The system of claim 8, whereinthe specifications comprise at least one of a type of the virtualmachine, a process performed by the virtual machine, and desiredcomputing resources for the virtual machine.
 12. The system of claim 8,wherein selecting at least one computing system comprises: maintaining arecord of classes of the set of computing systems; matching therequirements with at least one of the classes; and selecting the atleast one computing systems that is associated with the at least one ofthe classes.
 13. The system of claim 8, the cloud management systembeing further configured to— instantiate the virtual machine in the atleast one computing system.
 14. The system of claim 8, the cloudmanagement system being further configured to— provide an indication ofthe at least one computing system to another system to instantiate thevirtual machine.
 15. A computer readable storage medium comprisinginstructions for causing a processing system to perform a methodcomprising: identifying a set of computing systems to include in acloud, wherein each computing system in the set of computing systemscomprises computing resources; classifying the set of computing systemsbased on usage of the cloud and the computing resources; receiving arequest to instantiate a virtual machine in the cloud, wherein therequest includes specifications of the virtual machine; selecting atleast one computing system in the set of computing systems based on thespecifications and the classification of the set of computing systems;and allocating the at least one computing system to the virtual machine.16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, whereinidentifying the set of computing systems comprises: querying the set ofcomputing systems to determine at least one of a type of the computingresources, an amount of the computing resources, and an availability ofthe computing resources.
 17. The computer readable storage medium ofclaim 15, wherein classifying the set of computing systems, comprises:classifying the set of computing systems according to types of virtualmachines to be instantiated on the set of computing systems and amountof the computing resources available.
 18. The computer readable storagemedium of claim 15, wherein the specifications comprise at least one ofa type of the virtual machine, a process performed by the virtualmachine, and desired computing resources for the virtual machine. 19.The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein selecting atleast one computing system comprises: maintaining a record of classes ofthe set of computing systems; matching the requirements with at leastone of the classes; and selecting the at least one computing systemsthat is associated with the at least one of the classes.
 20. Thecomputer readable storage medium of claim 15, the method furthercomprising: instantiating the virtual machine in the at least onecomputing system.
 21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15,the method further comprising: providing an indication of the at leastone computing system to another system to instantiate the virtualmachine.